Jobs As a Coast Guard Helicopter Pilot
The U.S. Coast Guard is one of the five branches of the U.S. armed forces. While the other branches are within the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Its job is to protect the country's ports, waterways and shorelines. Along with ships, the Coast Guard uses helicopters and other aircraft to perform its daily duties.
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All Coast Guard helicopter pilots are officers. They operate various high-tech helicopters that are deployed from air stations, other air facilities and Coast Guard cutters. Coast Guard air stations are located along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and in the Great Lakes, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Helicopter pilots provide support to various missions in which their units engage, such as search and rescue, law enforcement, homeland security, air interdiction, marine environmental protection and maintenance of aids to navigation.
Major Assignments
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Helicopter pilots are always ready to perform search and rescue missions. They are trained to locate missing persons in the water, render aid to distressed persons while in flight, recover property in the sea and deliver equipment at emergency scenes. These pilots also conduct patrol missions to protect national ports, shipping lanes and fisheries. For example, pilots might monitor for icebergs that enter shipping lanes, observe pollution problems, watch for illegal drug activities or keep an eye open for terrorist movement. Providing transportation support is another major mission that pilots perform. They deliver Coast Guard personnel and cargo to other military stations as well as to scenes of disasters such as oil spills, hurricanes and floods. Pilots also assist in the maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and other aids to navigation by flying equipment and personnel to inaccessible locations.
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Job Duties
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Pilots are responsible for controlling their aircraft so that the loss of life, property damage and injury to themselves and their crew is minimal. Their duties include preparing flight plans and conducting preflight and postflight checks to make sure that their helicopters are working safely. These pilots monitor all aircraft systems, instruments and fuel while in flight. They also review weather reports and monitor weather conditions during their flights. Helicopter pilots are on call 24 hours a day and fly in all types of weather.
Training
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Recent graduates of the Coast Guard Academy and the Officer Candidate School may apply for the Coast Guard flight training program, which is approximately 20 months long. Junior officers may apply for the program during their first three years in service. Experienced military pilots who transfer to the Coast Guard may be assigned to aviation units after they complete required training.
Salaries
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Formal salary information for helicopter pilots in the Coast Guard is unavailable. Their pay depends on their rank and pay grade, the number of years they have been in service, where they are stationed, and other factors. For example, the basic monthly pay for commissioned officers with six years of service ranged from $5,117.10 (O-3 pay grade) to $6,802.50 (O-6 pay grade), according to the 2010 Coast Guard basic pay table.
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- Photo Credit red coast guard helicopter image by Xavier MARCHANT from Fotolia.com
